School Of Visual Arts 23rd Annual Dusty Film and Animation Festival Slated for May

Reeves Lehmann, chair of the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department at the School of Visual Arts (SVA), announced today that the 23rd Annual Dusty Film and Animation Festival, or "23 on 23," will be held in New York City on Sunday, May 6 through Wednesday, May 9, 2012.

The four-day event will showcase more than 100 films and animations from students graduating this spring, as well as celebrate 23rd Street as a home for the college and the theater. Annie Flocco, producer/filmmaker and SVA faculty member, will produce the event; Meredith Engstrom will co-produce. This year's headlining sponsors are: AbelCine; Act Zero Films; Adorama Rental Company; AJA Video Systems; Animation Magazine; Avid Technology, Inc.; Blue Sky Studios; Bryan Singer; CAVA – SVA Computer Store; Eastman Kodak Company; Emmett/Furla Films; Feature Systems/Kits and Expendables; Foto Care; Future Media Concepts; Gotham Sound & Communications, Inc.; Machinima, Inc.; National Board of Review; New York Women in Film & Television; Nice Shoes; Rota6; Scheimpflug; and SCS Agency, Inc. One hundred percent of the sponsors' donations will benefit thesis students in the form of grants and in-kind gifts.

The festival kicks off with three days of film and animation screenings, and concludes with an awards ceremony on May 9. Thirteen awards-including Outstanding Film and Achievement in Directing, Outstanding Documentary, Outstanding Traditional and Stop Motion Animation, and the New York Women in Film and Television Award-are given to students in recognition for outstanding thesis work. All festival screenings and the awards ceremony are free to the general public and will take place at SVA's state-of-the-art theater, located at 333 West 23rd Street, NYC. The final list of presenters and special guests will be made public at a later date, and an outdoor screening in June, which will highlight many of the winning films, is in the works.